Video: NC cop hospitalized after drunk woman rams cruiser

One officer suffered injuries to his knee and wrist after a drunk woman hit his squad head-on

By PoliceOne Staff

LELAND, N.C. — A Leland police officer was hospitalized Thursday night after a woman suspected of larceny slammed into his patrol car in an attempt to escape.

Leland police were dispatched to a Walmart where 51-year-old Joyce Mae Norris was suspected of shoplifting by the store’s loss prevention team, according to ABC 3. When police arrived, Norris was already getting into her Dodge truck.

According to police, Norris rammed into Sgt. J. Keel’s patrol car in the parking lot before hitting another car, then fled the scene.

Cpl. D. Long then attempted to stop her with his patrol car, prompting her to ram the vehicle head-on. Long was sent to the hospital for injuries to his wrist and knee, according to Star News Online.

Norris led police on a brief pursuit until she ran off the road and attempted to escape on foot, according to the report.

Norris was arrested and charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer, felony fleeing to elude, DWI, three counts injury to personal property, larceny, open container, and giving false information to an officer. She is being held at the Brunswick County jail on a $117,500 bond.